Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Loads of wrecks, varied and interesting diving on offer |
| Disadvantages: |
Cold, far north |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
As I live in Shetland and also visit Orkney when the chance arises, I’ve written an opinion mainly about the diving in both groups of islands. As a bit of background I’ve done about 130 dives in Shetland and 30 in Orkney. There’s also some tourist information at the end, because most people wouldn’t come this far purely to dive. The diving up here on the edge of the map is fantastic, and there's plenty to see and do as well, so please read on and see what you think.
THE DIVING - SHETLAND
Shetland, if you weren’t aware, is situated to the extreme far north of Scotland, 50 miles to the North of Orkney. Although the mainland is only 70 miles long, it has about a thousand of miles of coastline, due to the number of Voes (mini fjords) and smaller islands, over 100 in total. An interesting fact I discovered whilst researching this op is that I live North of the Southern tip of Greenland. In general the tides here are much less than the rest of the UK, so with a few notable exceptions dive planning rarely includes tide tables. The waters can produce visibility of up to 30m in winter, dropping to 6-8m if the plankton is bad in summer. Temperatures vary from 4C to 12C, so a drysuit is very advisable.
Shetland has scenic dives in unlimited quantity. The rocky shores and towering cliffs peppered with sea caves provide a variety of bottoms to explore, from sandy Scallop beds to undulating gullies harbouring caves, walls and kelp beds. Some shores drop rapidly away to 75 metres allowing you to pick your own depth. The life is reasonably varied, with typically seen creatures including Seals, Thornback Rays, Conger Eels, Ling, Pollock, Cod, Wolf Fish, Lumpsuckers and DogFish, as well as a variety of Crustaceans and Shellfish.
Wreck diving is plentiful around the Isles. Over a thousand wrecks are listed in Shetland waters, here’s brief details of a few. Within easy reach of Lerwick harbour are a number of wrecks. Some of them are in shipping lanes so require permission to dive. The Glen Isla is a 76 metre, 1200 tonne cargo ship sunk in 1917 just South of Lerwick in 45m of water. Being fairly intact makes it a great dive, but due to the depth it’s only for the more experienced diver. A mile away in Breiwick Bay lies the Gwladmena at a depth of about 39 metres. I’m not sure of the details of this wreck as it was only discovered in the last decade, but it’s a similar size to the Glen Isla and is also in one piece. There’s quite a bit of ordinance around her, but the sensible option is leaving it in place, as it might not react pleasantly upon surfacing. A few hundred yards away is the Samba, a container ship that sank in the 1950’s, lying depths varying from 15 to 35 metres. This is a fairly broken up wreck but it’s also a good scenic dive.
Off the South end of Bressay lies the Valkyrie, a trawler. Although her keel is at 50 metres, the dive is worth the effort as she only sank about 8 years ago and sits upright in a gully, her nets hanging eerily from her mast. North of her, below the lighthouse, lies the Russian Klondiker the Lunokhod, in two sections. The bow is in 5 to 10 metres and fairly intact, the stern is in 45 metres and very intact. She sank about 6 years ago in a storm and makes for a great dive. Opposite her, just below Lerwick graveyard lies the Queen of Sweden. This Dutch East Indiaman sank in 1754 in 10 –15 metres of water, after hitting a rock. A scramble down the steep shore makes it possible to dive without the assistance of a boat, but all that remain are a number of iron cannons. A pretty site though, good for a second dive and I have seen Conger Eels here.
Around the corner in Gulberwick Bay is the massive Pionersk. A Russian factory ship in 22m, she sank about 4 years ago after her anchors failed in a storm. This is a really top notch dive, her proximity to the shore does mean she’s breaking up slowly, but for local divers this means its worth diving her several times a year as there is often something new to see.
Other notable wrecks around Shetland that I haven’t yet dived include a WW1 E-boat in 35m outside Baltasound harbour in Unst. The ill-fated oil tanker the Braer sank at Quendale Bay on the South Mainland 5 years ago, unleashing her cargo on Shetlands shoreline. Mother Nature kindly kept the 100mph storm raging for many days though, which dispersed most of the oil naturally. I am led to think she is flattened, but her impact as a near disaster make her a must dive for me. Two miles East of the remote island of Foula, lies the 17,000 tonne luxury liner the Oceanic. She sank in 1914 under military command, after running aground in fog. An arduous trip and lying in a tide race, she is reputedly worth the trouble.
For charter diving Shetland Sea Charters, who operate from Lerwick, are probably the best option as they also have a compressor. Telephone number is 01595 692577. There are three diving clubs in Shetland, one Scottish Sub Aqua Club, one British Sub Aqua Club and one Sub Aqua Association. All are keen to assist visitors, so if you need details contact me.
THE DIVING - ORKNEY
Most divers automatically think Scapa Flow if Orkney is mentioned. Since it became a commercial dive site when the first charter boats appeared about twenty years ago, it’s become something of a Mecca for wreck divers. The reason for this is that the German High Fleet was scuttled here at the end of WW1, and quite a few sizeable chunks of it remain. The Flow is a huge natural harbour with only two points of entry since three of the Islands were linked in WW2. The links are known as the Churchill barriers and were to stop German submarines entering and attacking the British fleet. Cunningly, the government called them roads (They are now) which allowed them to circumvent the Geneva Convention and use Italian POWs as labour. As there are only two points of entry the tides are a feature that require a lot of consideration.
Orkney, particularly Stromness, which has a hyperbaric chamber, is well geared up for diving, with over a dozen charters boats operating in the Flow. The visibility in the Flow can be quite reasonable, reaching 10 meters, though not as good as outside where 20m+ is possible. The remaining German ships – The rest were salvaged - provide a selection of interesting and challenging dives. Having, and being able to use, a surface marker buoy (Preferably deployable) is fairly important, as the boat skippers like to know where their divers are. Because of the depths the use of additional equipment such as pony cylinders, back up torches and decompression stages all make the diving safer.
The 4300-ton Brummer was a light cruiser of 462-ft length. She lies on her Starboard (Right) side and the front section is remarkably intact, with the control tower still in place, railings and all. Lying in 35 metres of water she is a very popular dive that most visitors make at least once during their weeks diving.
Less popular are the incredible Bayern Turrets. When the 28,000 ton battleship Bayern was salvaged, her gun turrets, each weighing 600 tons, popped out and embedded themselves upside down in the seabed at 37m. The guns are buried under the seabed, but the visible structures of the four guns are each the size of a house. They really have to be seen to be believed, but entering them is an extremely bad idea as they are apparently like rabbit warrens inside, and have claimed lives.
The three battleships, Konig, Kronprinz Wilhelm and Markgraf are a massive 25,000 tons and 575 ft length apiece. They lie upside down in 40, 34 and 45 metres respectively. Diving on the hull of one of these is like being on a curved football pitch and no trip to Scapa is complete without seeing at least one of them.
Other wrecks in the Flow include Dresden, Karlsruhe and Koln, all of the German fleet. The British 29,000 ton HMS Royal Oak lies in 30m but is a war grave, as over 800 men were lost when she was sank in 1939 by an aerial torpedo. Other British naval wrecks include the HMS Strathgarry, at 57 metres it would be foolhardy to attempt it on air but is regularly dived by Trimix divers. The F2 is also British relatively shallow, but resembles an underwater scrapheap.
The James Barrie, a trawler, lies in the Southern entrance to the Flow, Hoxa Sound. The tides are fierce, but maintain a good visibility on her, making this a popular dive in about 36 metres.
In the Eastern entrance to Flow, Burra Sound, lies my favourite wreck, the Tabarka. This is one of the numerous “blockships” that were deliberately sank there to prevent German submarines getting in. A 2,600 ton steamer, she lies upside down in 12 metres of water. It is possible to enter the hull, and once inside this is a magnificent dive. The high visibility courtesey of the tide race gives the sea a greenie/blue hue. On a fine day shafts of sunlight enter through holes in the hull, lighting up the ever-present shoals of fish. Due to the tide some of the skippers are reluctant to put divers onto the Tabarka, but I’d be pretty insistent that I’d want to at least attempt it. And attempt is the right word because you need to hit it bang on or the tide takes you for an exciting drift dive across the debris strewn seabed.
Outside the Flow, to the East of Orkney is the Cotovia. Sitting in about 40m, this is a 4000t SS sunk by a mine in 1917. The hull is mostly flat, but the huge boilers stand upright and make a pretty awesome site. A dive to avoid, in my opinion, is The Old Man of Hoy. It’s very pretty above water but is just a higgledy piggeldy boulder strewn bottom beneath. It’s named "washing the old mans feet" by the skippers, but I found it quite a boring dive.
As I mentioned, there are numerous dive operators in the Flow. I’ve used several, but would recommend John Thornton, skipper of the Karin, as he is both a very experienced technical diver and instructor. The Karin is optionally a liveaboard, so it’s possible to overnight in a variety of places. You can find out more about him and the Karin at www.scapaflow.com/ or by telephoning 01856 874761.
THE REST OF SHETLAND
Orkney and Shetland both have a lot of history to keep visitors amused when they aren't diving. I’m going to look at Shetland first, to do my bit for local tourism. Shetland has Jarlshof, an ancient Pictish settlement on the Southern tip of the island as its showpiece. This is an extremely impressive site, situated near to Sumburgh airport and well worth a visit. In my opinion Orkneys famous Skara Brae pales into insignificance on a like for like comparison. In Lerwick is the Clickimin Broch, a large round coastal fort that is several thousand years old, free to visit and easy to get to. On the Isle of Mousa, a bird sanctuary on the East Side, is Mousa Broch. The best example of a Broch (Round tower) in the UK and accessed by a small boat from the village of Sandwick.
Shetland also has a decent selection of pubs and restaurants. I’ve written separate opinions about both, so won’t go on for too long here. My favourite eateries include The Raba, an Indian Restaurant, The Great Wall Chinese Restaurant and Monty’s Bistro, a top class quality International Restaurant. These three are all in Lerwick. Further afield is the Busta House Hotel, near Brae, which offers very high quality food. On the pub front, best in Lerwick include Captain Flints and The Lounge. Accommodation wise, I’d advise you to look at www.shetland-tourism.co.uk as I don’t often need to spend the night in local hotels and guesthouses. Feel free to e-mail me for any local knowledge I might have if you are looking at booking somewhere though.
There are three ways of getting to Shetland. The daily overnight ferry from Aberdeen takes 14 hours, although when CalMac take over from P&O in Oct 2002 it will be cut to 12 hrs. The first alternative is flying from Aberdeen, the second is chartering a dive boat in Orkney and steaming up at your leisure. The Jean Elaine and the Karin, both of Stromness, are occasional visitors so I’d pick one of these two as they have some local knowledge.
THE REST OF ORKNEY
On offer as prime attractions in Orkney are Skara Brae and Maes Howe. Skara Brae is a World Heritage site (I think) that’s a must see, Maes Howe is an excavated mound. The Ring of Brogar is a well-preserved standing stone circle nearby, that’s free to visit and is exquisitely beautiful at dawn and sunset. In Kirkwall, the 900-year-old St Magnus Cathedral is high on my list of favourite buildings, I pop in for a look whenever I'm in Kirkwall. The museum in Stromness is also very interesting, with a fascinating section on the Hudson Bay Company. This includes information about one of Orkneys most famous sons, Arctic explorer John Rae, whose fine memorial stands in the right hand corner of the Cathedral, behind the pulpit. The Highland Park Distillery is good for a rainy day, especially seeing as we don’t have one in Shetland.
Eating out in Orkney tends to be better than Shetland, huge portions abound and I always come back overweight. The Royal Hotel in Stromness is particularly good and there's a place called The Creel in St Margaret’s Hope (I haven't been there, but friends have highly recommended it) that has a Michelin star. Kirkwall has the Eastern Spice Indian – more massive portions, last time I was there we all had to go straight to bed afterwards we were so full, and half of it was left! As for the pubs, In Stromness The Flattie bar of the Stromness Hotel is basic but usually good for a laugh. The famed Ferry Inn is always lively, as is The Royal. Stromness is geared up for divers so I would be inclined to base myself here. I wouldn’t recommend staying in The Ferry Inn nowadays, as there are regular, noisy lock-ins that are a pain if you want to sleep.
For more info on Orkney in general, and accommodation etc, try their official website at www.orkney.com
To get to Orkney you can either get a ferry from Scrabster (about 2 hours) or from Aberdeen (about 10 hours). There're also daily flights from Aberdeen, but this isn't really much use if you've got a carload of diving gear.
Well I hope that’s been useful. As I said earlier, feel free to e-mail me for further info.
